I've recently bought a Vortech V1 kit for my 460 EFI truck. It came with everything I need except for the kit inline fuel pump. I'm pretty sure the Vortech factory pump was a Walbro 155 lph inline pump ($187 from Vortech); talking to Vortech sales they are now recommending their T-Rex 255 lph pump ($278 from Vortech).

A quick search of the interwebs shows that many people are replacing the T-Rex pump with a Walbro GSL-392 high pressure 255 lph when the T-Rex stops working. It looks like the Walbro is not only a higher flow, higher pressure pump, but I can also get it for just over $100 online.

For the short term, I know this is more than enough, but I would like to modify my engine further and eventually run the Vortech @ 10-12 psi with a MegaSquirt controlled system.

Long term:

1. Will the Walbro GLS-392 supply fuel for a forced induction 460 running possibly as high as 500 HP on pump fuel?
2. Will the stock in-tank fuel pumps hinder the inline pump's performance
3. If the stock fuel pumps are a problem, can the dual tank mod be effective long term?
4. Will the rest of the fuel system (lines, dual tank switching block, fuel rails, etc) support the higher flow rates?
5. Should I look at getting high flow (but not neccessarily high pressure) in-tank fuel pumps
6. How do I correctly calculate the flow and pressure I can support with 2 fuel pumps in series? It seems too easy to just add the fuel pressures together like a dual stage positive displacement system (like an air compressor).

Lastly, I need to splice into my factory fuel lines for the short term at least. I would like to just splice in where the fuel filter is now. Can anybody point me to the correct fitting to take advantage of the existing fuel filter connections, some hose, and fittings to connect both the fuel filter and pump in that location?

 

Pumps are really bad at sucking so ideally a booster pump should be as close to the tank as possible. You really don't need any more pressure than what the stock system generates you just need more volume, but then are you using an FMU to boost fuel pressure in parallel with turbo boost or are you gonna program in more fuel? Your truck doesn't have a fuel tank switch valve BTW, the external fuel lines are just Tee'd together and the in-tank FDM contains shuttle valves to prevent backflow from the active pump. Speaking of intank pumps, maybe a better solution would be to retrofit a Lightning in-tank pump module.

 

I'm going to use the FMU to boost fuel pressure for the time being; I'm going to install the Vortech system as is for now, so the FMU will boost the fuel pressure to compensate for the extra air.

Long term, my plan is to ditch the FMU and the stock ECU and run a Megasquirt system with large enough fuel injectors to support the fuel needs rather than having to boost fuel pressure to "trick" the system.

I would like a system now that will support both system designs.

I didn't know that about the tank switch valve. I've honestly spent very little time looking at the fuel lines along the frame rail, so I just assumed there was a valve there. Thanks.

You hit the nail on the head here: I don't know what to do though.

What is the flow rate and pressure rating of the Lightning in-tank setup? (I'm assuming 1st gen will be direct drop in for my tanks)

Is it more cost effective and/or easier than installing some Walbro fuel pumps instead?

Should I be going with a boost pump which may be impeded by the stock pumps, or if I should go with two brand new in tank pumps. A single inline pump is appealing because it's both cheaper and faster to install, but if I need new in tank pumps to support my long-term goals, the long-term cost and effort are not worth it. Adding a 3rd pump also leaves one more point of failure in the system.

Stock, fuel pressure is around 40 psi. Running 5 lbs of boost with an 8:1 FMU means the fuel pump needs to support almost 80 psi fuel rail pressure .

I found these at autoperformanceengineering.com

A "Typical" Walbro 255lph pump


A "High Pressure" Walbro 255lph pump

 

Bumping this.

Is there any big issue with installing the Walbro 255 in tank pumps in the stock pump location? I think I like the idea of two new in tank pumps over the frame mount setup.

Does anybody have any quick write up on the process? I have access to a lift, so i'm just going to lift the bed off and am mostly curious about how the pumps fit in the holders.

 

pm sent... we expect to have 500-600whp on pump gas in a matter of weeks. I threw in some 24# bosch injectors on the sock ecu and it's still a joke just off idle. I have some really good people working with me on this and I've made this much power (and customers) with a third of the liters and a lot less head flow/cylinder. Give me a shout.

 

I didn't get any PM from you Boport.

I ended up getting the Walbro GSL392 inline fuel pump; hopefully I can get the fuel pump plumbed in this weekend. I've got everything else mounted up except for wire harness for the MSD boost timing control box to connect to the coil; that's on order right now.

I've also been having problems finding the correct belt since I've removed thee smog pump and I need to get a shorter belt. I think the parts store I've been using had a mis-labeled belt because I tried one that was BARELY too short, got one a few sizes larger and have tried every belt in between and they've all been way too long. Now that I've got the manifold gasket and thermostat fixed, the cooling system back together, and everything back in place, I'm going to drive the truck to the parts store and swap belts in their parking lot until I can find one that fits.

Hopefully the end of the weekend sees a running Vortech on my truck.

 

any updates yet ?

 

Yes, those high volume pumps simply will not fit inside the stock truck fuel delivery module, I went through this with my truck and had trouble finding a 155l that would fit.

Also the Lightning pump I was referring to was one for the late model supercharged 5.4 not the Gen1, take a look at the link and you'll see what I'm talking about. 2003 Ford F150 Harley Davidson Lightning 5 4 SVT Supercharged Fuel Pump 58K Mile | eBay